Student Life
Service
Forming servant-leaders of generous hearts and courageous leadership.
Service is embedded in the educational program, both as a “how” and a “why” of our formation.
Service is both a way we grow and a reason we grow. Through serving others, students discover their own gifts and learn to place them at the service of something greater than themselves. In giving of themselves, they come to know more deeply who they are—and who they are called to become.
Rather than asking only, ‘What can I accomplish?’ students increasingly ask, ‘How can I contribute?’ This interior transformation is perhaps the greatest fruit of service.
Every Oakcrest student participates in service.
Monthly service projects organized through SIP.
Minimum service hours across seven years at Oakcrest.
Give Where You Are
Service Hours
Service begins in the ordinary circumstances of daily life, teaching students to recognize opportunities for generosity close to home.
Middle School Service
Middle School students are required to provide a minimum of 15 hours of service each year to their families, friends and/or neighbors. As students are introduced to the habit of service, they learn that meaningful acts of self-gift often begin in the ordinary circumstances of daily life. A maximum of 5 of the 15 hours required may also be fulfilled by serving their community at large.
Upper School Service
Students complete a minimum of 20 service hours in 9th grade and 25 hours in grades 10–12. As they mature, students are encouraged to look beyond their immediate circles to serve the wider community, especially those in need, while continuing to recognize service to family as an essential part of daily life.
All the circumstances in which life places us bring a divine message, asking us to respond with love and service to others.
Gather To Serve
Service Initiative Projects
Collaborating in student-led initiatives, students discover the joy of working together for the good of others and strengthening their community. Through 21 monthly service projects, 40 student service coordinators organize opportunities for their peers to serve. SIP helps students recognize that meaningful change does not require the resources of a large organization; their own time, talents, and initiative can make a difference.
Go Forth and Serve
Anna Diederich Day of Service
Each year, the entire Oakcrest community comes together for the Anna Diederich Day of Service, honoring beloved alumna, teacher, coach, and dean Anna Diederich ’17. Students venture to service sites throughout Northern Virginia, offering their time, talents, companionship, and practical assistance to those they encounter.
Anna Diederich ’17
Alumna · Teacher · Coach · Dean
“I’m happiest when I am serving others.”
Anna Diederich ’17 attended Oakcrest from sixth grade through graduation before returning as a mathematics teacher, Cross Country and Track & Field coach, and senior class dean. In 2026, Oakcrest permanently named its annual Day of Service in her honor, celebrating her legacy of generosity, joy, and selflessness. Anna lived the meaning of being a “trustee of humanity,” always putting others first and finding happiness in serving them.